Toolless mounting system and method for an adjustable scalable rack power system

ABSTRACT

Systems and method for installing computer equipment and power distribution equipment in facilities is provided. In one aspect, the present invention provides a power distribution rack, and uninterruptible power supply rack and a plurality of equipment racks. A plurality of power cables are run from the power distribution rack to each of the plurality of equipment racks using power cable tracks located on the roofs of the equipment racks. A plurality of data cables run between the plurality of equipment racks using data cable tracks located on the roofs of the equipment racks. The power cable tracks and data cable tracks are designed to be installed on the roofs of the equipment racks without the need for tools.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/105,135, filed Apr. 13, 2005, which is Continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/284,835, filed Oct. 31, 2002 (now U.S. Pat. No.6,992,247), which is a Continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/038,106 filed Jan. 2, 2002 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,967,283),each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference for allpurposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a system and method forproviding power distribution and mounting facilities for electronicequipment, and more specifically to methods and apparatus for installingand powering computers and related equipment in data centers and otherfacilities without the need for additional hardware or tools.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Centralized data centers for computer, communications and otherelectronic equipment have been in use for a number of years, and morerecently, with the increasing use of the Internet, large scale datacenters that provide hosting services for Internet Service Providers(ISPs), Application Service Providers (ASPs) and Internet contentproviders are become increasingly popular. Typical centralized datacenters contain numerous racks of equipment that require power, coolingand connections to communications facilities. It is common in datacenters to use raised flooring, beneath which power cables andcommunication cables may be run between racks of equipment and tofacility distribution panels. In addition, it is common to use the spacebeneath the raised flooring as an air plenum to provide cooling to theracks of equipment. In some facilities, in place of, or in addition tothe use of raised flooring, overhead cable ladders are used to routecables throughout the facility. These cable ladders are typicallyfastened to support members in the ceiling of the facility.

It is often desirable to operate equipment within data centers sevendays a week, 24 hours per day, with little or no disruption in service.To prevent any disruption in service, it is common practice in datacenters to use uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) to ensure that theequipment within the data centers receives continuous power throughoutany black out or brown out periods. Typically, data centers are equippedwith a relatively large UPS at the main power distribution panel for thefacility. Often, the UPS is a 480 volt 3 phase unit that is selected tohave sufficient capacity to meet the power requirements for all of theequipment within the facility.

Equipment within data facilities typically have 120 volt or 208 voltinput power requirements, and a power distribution unit having a stepdown transformer is often used between the output of the UPS and powerfeeds for equipment racks to lower the 480 volt input voltage to 120volts or 208 volts for the equipment racks. A circuit breaker panel istypically either installed in the PDU or mounted near the PDU.

There are several drawbacks with the traditional design of data centers.First, raised flooring is expensive and cannot be easily accommodated insome facilities, such as those that do not have high ceilings. Second,the routing of cables under raised floors often creates “rats' nests”and it often becomes difficult, if not impossible, to locate particularcables beneath a raised floor. Further, when it is desired to add newequipment to a data center having a raised floor, it is often difficultto pull cables past existing cables under the floor, and the build up ofcables beneath a floor often prevents cooling air from flowing beneaththe floor to electronic equipment racks. In addition, in many locations,building codes require that expensive metal clad cabling be used forpower cables that are located beneath raised floors.

The use of cable ladders that run along the ceiling of a data centerovercomes many of the drawbacks of raised floors discussed above,however, the use of cable ladders also has several drawbacks. Cableladders are somewhat difficult to install, and like raised floors,cannot be readily accommodated in facilities that do not have highceilings. Typically, when cable ladders are used, the location of theladders is determined during the initial design of the data center. Ifit later becomes necessary to add new equipment to the data center or tomove equipment, the location of the ladders may not be in closeproximity to equipment racks, requiring long runs of cables to racks.Further, cable ladders and runs of cables from the ladders to equipmentracks are typically fully in view and often cause a data center toappear to be overcrowded and/or cluttered.

Furthermore, installation of cable ladders can be complicated andrequires a great deal of planning and installation labor. Many pieces ofloose hardware need to be assembled and attached to the ceiling. Thesehardware pieces generally require multiple tools for assembly.Furthermore, many sections of threaded rod are needed for suspending thecable ladders from the ceiling. Each section of the rod needs to be cutand deburred for installation. In order to make changes to the cableladder design, the process has to be repeated. Multiple tools arerequired to disassemble the existing cable ladders and to reassemblethem in new locations and patterns. Although some sections of threadedrod may be removed and reused, new sections may also need to be created.The use of existing sections requires removal and reinstallation at newlocations.

Another drawback in the design of traditional data centers involves thedifficulty in selecting the size of a UPS for the facility. As brieflydiscussed above, many newer data centers are used as web hostingfacilities that essentially lease space and utilities to Internetcontent providers or Internet Service Providers. Often when these datacenters are initially designed, the final power requirements for thefacility are not known, and it is often not for some time, if ever, thata facility becomes fully occupied. If the UPS is selected for fullcapacity, and the facility is operated at substantially below fullcapacity for some time, then the overhead costs of the facility maybecome undesirably high due to the cost of the UPS. Further, there arepower losses associated with a UPS. If a UPS is operated atsubstantially below full capacity, then these losses may becomesignificant when compared with the total power consumption of thefacility. If a UPS for a facility is selected for less than fullcapacity, then it may have to be replaced, at considerable cost, whenthe usage of the facility increases.

In some facilities, UPSs are distributed throughout the facilityallowing smaller UPSs to be used, and providing greater flexibility. Oneproblem with this approach is that installation of the UPS along withthe wiring to racks often requires an electrician. In addition, a powerdistribution unit is often needed between each of the distributed UPSsand the loads that they power. These power distribution units are oftenbulky items that do not fit well within data centers, and/or may requireplacement near a wall on which a circuit breaker panel can be mounted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect of the present invention is directed to an adaptablepower and mounting system for equipment. The system includes a pluralityof equipment racks, each one of the equipment racks has at least a firstpower input to receive power to power equipment contained in each of theequipment racks. The system further includes a first power distributionrack that provides power to the equipment racks, the first powerdistribution rack including a power distribution panel and a pluralityof output power cables, each having a first end coupled to the powerdistribution panel and a second end having a mating connector that mateswith the first power input of at least one of the plurality of equipmentracks.

The plurality of equipment racks and the first power distribution rackcan be designed to be installed in a facility in a predeterminedarrangement, whereby each rack is at a predetermined distance from thepower distribution rack, wherein each of the plurality of cables mateswith a respective one of the plurality of equipment racks, and each oneof the plurality of cables has a length based on the predetermineddistance between the power distribution rack and the respective one ofthe plurality of equipment racks for the one of the plurality of cables.The first power distribution rack can further include a main power inputto receive input power having a first voltage value from a first powersource, and a transformer coupled to the main power input and to each ofthe plurality of output power cables to provide output power having asecond voltage, lower than the first voltage, to the plurality of outputpower cables.

Each of the plurality of equipment racks can have a second power input,and the system can further include a second power distribution rack thatprovides power to the plurality of equipment racks, the second powerdistribution rack including a power distribution panel and a pluralityof output power cables, each having a first end coupled to the powerdistribution panel of the second power distribution rack and a secondend having a mating connector that mates with the second power input ofone of the plurality of equipment racks. The second power distributionrack can further include a main power input to receive input powerhaving a first voltage value from a second power source, and atransformer coupled to the main power input and to each of the outputpower cables of the second power distribution rack to provide outputpower having a second voltage, lower than the first voltage, to theplurality of output power cables of the second power distribution rack.The plurality of equipment racks can be arranged in a type of row havinga first end and a second end, with the first power distribution rackbeing adjacent the first end of the row and the second powerdistribution rack being adjacent the second end of the row.

Each of the plurality of equipment racks can include at least onereceptacle unit having a plurality of power outlets to provide power toequipment in the racks. At least one of the receptacle units in one ofthe equipment racks can have a power cord having a connector thatfunctions as the power input for the one of the plurality of equipmentracks. At least one of the receptacle units in one of the plurality ofequipment racks can be removably mounted to the one of the equipmentracks using a snap fit. The power provided to at least one of theplurality of equipment racks from the first power distribution rack canbe three phase power, and the outlets of a receptacle unit in the one ofthe plurality of equipment racks can be arranged in at least threegroups with at least one outlet in each group being constructed toprovide single phase power from one of the three phases of the inputpower. The receptacle unit in at least one of the plurality of equipmentracks can have an over current device that interrupts power to at leastone outlet upon detection of an over current condition. Each one of theplurality of power cables can include a label that indicates therespective equipment rack for the one of the power cables.

The system can further include a first communications network, and aplurality of the receptacle units and the power distribution rack caninclude a communications circuit coupled to the first communicationsnetwork. The system can further include a consolidator unit having afirst communications circuit coupled to the first communication networkto communicate with the plurality of receptacle units and the powerdistribution rack to receive status information. The consolidator unitcan further include a second communications circuit to communicate witha second communications network. The first communications network can bea power line carrier based network, and the second communicationsnetwork can be an Internet protocol based network.

Each one of the plurality of equipment racks can have a roof sectionwith a power cable track mounted on the roof section, wherein the powercable track is constructed and arranged to contain a portion of at leastone of the plurality of power cables to route the one of the powercables from the power distribution rack to one of the plurality ofequipment racks. The roof section can have an opening to allow a powercable to pass from the power cable track to within the rack or fromwithin the rack to the roof of the rack. The power cable track of afirst one of the plurality of equipment racks can be constructed andarranged to mate with the power cable track of an adjacent second one ofthe plurality of equipment racks to form a continuous power cable trackacross the roof sections of the first one of the plurality of equipmentracks and the second one of the plurality of equipment racks. The powercable tracks can have connectors for attaching a power cable track to aroof section of an equipment rack without the need for tools oradditional hardware. According to one aspect of the invention,attachment tabs on the power cable track mate with attachment holes inthe roof section.

Each of the plurality of equipment racks can include a data cable trackmounted on the roof section, and each of the data cable tracks and thepower cable tracks can have a length that is greater than a width, andeach one of the data cable tracks can be mounted on the roof of anequipment rack such that the length of the one of the data cable tracksis substantially parallel to the length of a power cable track mountedon the roof of the equipment rack. Each one of the power cable trackscan be mounted on risers on the roof to provide a space between the oneof the power cable tracks and the roof to allow a data cable to passfrom a data cable track on the roof beneath the one of the power cabletracks and through the opening in the roof. The data cable tracks canhave connectors for attaching a data cable track to a roof section of anequipment rack without the need for tools or additional hardware.According to one aspect of the invention, attachment tabs on the datacable track mate with attachment holes in the roof section. The datacable tracks may also be formed of two partitions positionable alongeither side of a track for the data cables. The data cables can laydirectly on the roof section of the equipment racks.

The system can further include a bridge power cable track configured tomate with a power cable track on a first one of the plurality ofequipment racks and to mate with a power cable track on a second one ofthe plurality of equipment racks to provide a continuous power cabletrack from the first one of the plurality of equipment racks to thesecond one of the plurality of equipment racks, wherein the first one ofthe plurality of equipment racks and the second one of the equipmentracks are separated by an aisle with the bridge power cable trackpassing over the aisle. Similarly, the system can further include abridge data cable track configured to mate with a data cable track on afirst one of the plurality of equipment racks and to mate with a datacable track on a second one of the plurality of equipment racks toprovide a continuous data cable track from the first one of theplurality of equipment racks to the second one of the plurality ofequipment racks. The bridge power cable track and bridge data cabletrack can mate with the respective power cable tracks and data cabletracks at different levels to provide separation of the data and powercables. The bridge power cable track and bridge data cable track caninclude brackets for attachment to the respective power cable track ordata cable track. The power cable tracks and data cable tracks includeslots in the sides for attaching the bridge brackets without the needfor tools or additional hardware.

The system can further include an uninterruptible power supply (UPS)having a plurality of power modules and battery modules, the UPS beingpositioned adjacent the first power distribution rack and having aninput coupled to the first power distribution rack to receive inputpower from the first power distribution rack and having an output toprovide one of the input power and backup power derived from the batterymodules to the first power distribution rack.

Another aspect of the present invention is directed to an adaptablepower and mounting system for equipment. The system includes a pluralityof equipment racks, each one of the equipment racks having at least afirst power input to receive power to power equipment contained in eachof the equipment racks, a first power distribution rack that providespower to the equipment racks, the first power distribution rackincluding a power distribution panel and a first plurality of outputpower cables, each having a first end coupled to the power distributionpanel and a second end that mates with the first power input of at leastone of the plurality of equipment racks, and an uninterruptible powersupply (UPS) having at least one battery, the UPS being positionedadjacent the first power distribution rack and having an input coupledto the first power distribution rack to receive input power from thefirst power distribution rack and having an output to provide one of theinput power and backup power derived from the at least one battery tothe first power distribution rack. The first power distribution rackfurther includes a bypass switch having a first input to receive inputpower, a first output to provide the input power to the UPS, a secondinput coupled to the output of the UPS and a second output, wherein thebypass switch has a first electrical position in which the first inputis coupled to the first output and the second input is coupled to thesecond output and a second electrical position in which the first inputis coupled to the second output.

Each of the plurality of equipment racks can have a second power input,and the system can further include a second power distribution rack thatprovides power to the equipment racks, the second power distributionrack including a power distribution panel and a second plurality ofoutput power cables, each having a first end coupled to the powerdistribution panel of the second power distribution rack and a secondend that mates with the second power input of at least one of theplurality of equipment racks.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, an adaptable power andmounting system includes a plurality of equipment racks, each one of theequipment racks having at least a first power input to receive power topower equipment contained in each of the equipment racks, and a firstpower distribution rack that provides power to the equipment racks, thefirst power distribution rack including a power distribution panel and aplurality of output power cables, each having a first end coupled to thepower distribution panel and a second end that mates with the firstpower input of at least one of the plurality of equipment racks. Eachone of the plurality of equipment racks has a roof section with a powercable track mounted on the roof section, wherein the power cable trackis constructed and arranged to contain a portion of at least one of theplurality of power cables to route the one of the power cables from thefirst power distribution rack to one of the equipment racks. The roofsection can have an opening to allow a power cable to pass from thepower cable track to within an equipment rack or from within theequipment rack to the roof of the rack. The power cable track of a firstone of the equipment racks can be constructed and arranged to mate withthe power cable track of an adjacent second one of the equipment racksto form a continuous power cable track across the roof sections of thefirst one of the equipment racks and the second one of the equipmentracks.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is directed to a method ofinstalling equipment in a plurality of equipment racks in a facility.The method includes providing a first power distribution rack having apower distribution panel, determining a location for the first powerdistribution rack and the plurality of equipment racks in the facility,based on the location of the plurality of equipment racks and the firstpower distribution rack, determining a necessary length of each one of afirst plurality of power cables, such that each one of the firstplurality of power cables can be coupled between the first powerdistribution rack and one of the plurality of equipment racks with afirst end of each power cable being coupled to the power distributionpanel and a second end being coupled to one of the plurality ofequipment racks, connecting the first end of each of the first pluralityof power cables to the power distribution panel, and installing aconnector on the second end of each of the first plurality of cables,the connector being selected to mate with an input connector of each ofthe plurality of equipment racks.

The method can further include after installing the connectors,packaging the first plurality of cables and the power distribution rackfor shipment to the facility. Each of the plurality of equipment rackscan include a roof having a power cable track mounted thereon, and themethod can further include routing each of the first plurality of powercables out of a hole in the top of the first power distribution rack,routing each of the plurality of power cables through at least one ofthe power cable tracks, and mating the connector on the second end ofeach of the first plurality of power cables with a connector of a firstpower input cable of one of the plurality of equipment racks. The methodcan further include mounting a first power receptacle unit including thefirst power input cable in at least one of the plurality of equipmentracks, prior to mating the connector on the second end with a connectorof the first power input cable. The method can further include providinga second power distribution rack having a power distribution panel,determining a location in the facility of the second power distributionrack, based on the location of the plurality of equipment racks and thesecond power distribution rack, determining a necessary length of eachone of a second plurality of power cables, such that each one of thesecond plurality of power cables can be coupled between the second powerdistribution rack and one of the plurality of equipment racks with afirst end of each of the second plurality of power cables being coupledto the power distribution panel of the second power distribution rackand a second end being coupled to one of the plurality of equipmentracks, connecting the first end of each of the second plurality of powercables to the power distribution panel of the second power distributionrack, installing a connector on the second end of each of the secondplurality of cables, the connector being selected to mate with an inputconnector of each of the plurality of equipment racks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is madeto the drawings which are incorporated herein by reference and in which:

FIG. 1 shows a typical layout of a prior art data center;

FIG. 2 shows a layout of a data center in accordance with a firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 show a row of equipment racks used in the data center of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a power distribution unit anduninterruptible power supply used in the row of equipment racks;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the frame of an equipment rack having apower receptacle unit in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the equipment rack of FIG. 5 showing analternative mounting technique for the power receptacle unit;

FIG. 7 is a top view of equipment racks of the present invention showingthe routing of cables between racks;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the equipment rack of FIG. 5 showinganother alternative mounting technique for a power receptacle unit;

FIG. 9A shows a top view of a portion of the power receptacle unit ofFIG. 8 in greater detail;

FIG. 9B shows a mounting portion for a power receptacle unit of the rackof FIG. 8 in greater detail;

FIG. 9C is a side view of the portion of the power receptacle unit ofFIG. 9A; and

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the interconnectivity of a communicationsbus used in embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a power track.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a power track.

FIGS. 13A and B are perspective views of first and second embodiments ofpartial data tracks.

FIG. 14 shows a mounting tab for an embodiment of a track.

FIG. 15 shows attachment hardware for bridge tracks according to anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention overcome problems associated withdata centers described above by providing adaptable power distributionand equipment mounting systems for computers and other electronicdevices.

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of the layout of a typical data center 100. Thedata center 100 includes a generator 102, high power switchgear 104, atransformer 106, three UPSs 108A, 108B and 108C, four power distributionunits (PDU) 110A, 110B, 110C and 110D, a battery or bank of batteries112, and twenty-eight rows 114 of racks of equipment. In the data center100, the transformer 106 is used to lower the voltage of power receivedfrom outside the facility or from the generator to a voltage level oftypically 480 volts. The switchgear provides switching of the powerbetween the generator and an outside power source and the UPSs. The UPSsin conjunction with the battery 112 provide uninterruptible power toeach of the PDUs. Each PDU typically contains a transformer, and powerdistribution circuitry, such as circuit breakers, for distributing powerto each of the racks in the data center. Problems associated with datacenters like that shown in FIG. 1 are described above in the Backgroundof the Invention.

FIG. 2 shows a diagram of the layout of a data center 200 in accordancewith a first embodiment of the present invention. Like data center 100,data center 200 includes a generator 202, switchgear 204, and atransformer 206 and forty-two rows 214 of racks of equipment. Datacenter 200 differs from data center 100 in that it does not contain thelarge UPSs 108A, 108B, 108C and 108D, batteries, and the large PDUs110A, 110B, 110C and 110D of the data center 100. Rather, data center100 includes UPS racks 208 having batteries and PDU racks 210 that aredistributed throughout the racks of equipment. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, as shown in FIG. 2, each row of equipment 214includes a UPS rack 208 and a PDU rack 210 located at each end of therow.

In FIG. 2, each row of racks 214 includes fourteen racks. In embodimentsof the present invention, the number of racks and the function ofequipment in the racks can vary.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary row of racks 214, used in embodiments of thepresent invention. The row of racks 214 includes a total of 9 racks,including UPS racks 208A and 208B, PDU racks 210A and 210B, and fiveequipment racks including three server racks 220A, 220B, and 220C, astorage array rack 222, and a router rack 224. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, the racks may be modified standard 19 inch racks,such as those available from American Power Conversion Corporation of W.Kingston, R.I. under the trade name NETSHELTER®.

The server racks include a plurality of servers 226 along with atransfer switch 228. As understood by those skilled in the art, theservers may be network servers that are commercially available from anumber of sources. The transfer switch 228 is used in some embodimentsof the invention to switch between a main source of power and aredundant source of power in the rack. The use of distributed transferswitches in each rack provides significant benefits over prior artsystems that have one centrally located transfer switch. In particular,the use of distributed transfer switches in individual racks increasesthe power availability to the racks by protecting against faults thatmay occur in the distribution system between the central source of powerin a facility and a rack.

The storage array rack 222 is used to house data storage equipment, suchas that available from EMC Corporation of Hopkinton, Mass. In addition,the storage array rack can be used for servers, routers or otherequipment. In addition, other, non-racked devices, such as tower serverscould be powered by power distribution systems of the present invention.

The router rack 224 houses a DC rectifier 230, routers 232 and switches234. The routers and switches are communication devices that are wellknown to those skilled in the art. The DC rectifier is used to convertAC power to DC power to power DC devices contained in the router rack.

Each of the UPS racks 208A and 208B includes a modular uninterruptiblepower supply (UPS). Each UPS includes a plurality of power modules 236,a plurality of battery modules 238, and an intelligence module 240. Theintelligence module 240 provides control of subsystems contained withinthe UPS. The power modules provide regulated output AC power, provide DCcharging current for the battery modules, and convert DC power from thebattery modules to AC power, upon disruption of facility power. Thebattery modules provide back up power to the power modules upondisruption of facility power.

In one embodiment, the power modules and the battery modules can beindividually added to or removed from the UPS to accommodate differentload requirements, thereby providing an economical and expandabledesign. Further, the use of multiple power modules and battery modulesprovides redundancy in each of the UPSs by allowing continued operationof the UPSs, despite a failure of any one power module or batterymodule. In one embodiment, the UPSs may be implemented using a UPS likethe Symmetra® UPS available from American Power Conversion Corporationand described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,982,652, titled “Method and Apparatusfor Providing Uninterruptible Power,” which is incorporated herein byreference. In embodiments of the present invention, the UPS rack may beconfigured to provide front to back cooling for the components of theUPS.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a UPS rack and one PDU rackis included at each end of the row of racks. As is described furtherbelow, the use of two UPSs and two PDUs provides further redundancy inthat power can continue to be supplied to the racks in the event thatone of the UPSs and/or one of the PDUs completely fails. The use of thetwo UPSs and PDUs provides the capability to operate in data centershaving redundant power sources, and provides redundant power to each ofthe racks. Some servers and other equipment typically contained in racksin data centers have two power inputs for redundancy purposes. Inembodiments of the present invention that provide redundant power, theseequipments having redundant inputs can be accommodated. In addition, theuse of the transfer switch allows equipment that does not have redundantinputs to be powered from redundant sources. The transfer switchreceives power from each of the redundant power systems and providesoutput power from one of the two input systems.

As understood by those skilled in the art, the present invention is notlimited to a system having two UPSs and two PDUs as shown in FIGS. 2 and3, but rather, includes systems having only one UPS and PDU and morethan two UPSs and PDUs.

The PDU racks 210A and 210B provide power transformation, circuitbreaker protection and distribution of input power to each of the racksin the row. Each PDU rack includes two circuit breaker distributionpanels 242A and 242B, a service bypass switch 244, an input circuitbreaker 241 and a transformer 246. The service bypass switch includesswitches 243, 245 and 247. FIG. 4 shows a functional block diagram ofthe PDU 210A (PDU 210B being substantially identical to PDU 210A) alongwith the connections between the PDU and the UPS 208A in one embodimentof the present invention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, thetransformer 246 receives the 480 volt, three phase input power of thePDU rack and provides 208 volt, three phase power to the UPS rack. Inother embodiments of the present invention, depending on characteristicsof the local power, the transformer can be designed for other inputvoltages and output voltages and the entire PDU may be designed forsingle phase power. In FIG. 4, for simplicity, a single connection isshown between each of the devices. As understood by those skilled in theart, individual connections for each phase of the power, neutral, and anoptional chassis ground are actually provided between each of thedevices.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the UPS rack receives the power fromthe transformer, and if the input power is within predeterminedtolerances, the power is routed back to the PDU rack. If the power isnot within tolerances, or if there is a power outage, the UPS rack willswitch to battery back-up mode and provide power generated by the UPS tothe PDU rack. The distribution panels 242A and 242B contain circuitbreakers and provide for a plurality of outlet points from which 208volt, three phase power can be distributed to the equipment racks. InFIG. 4, the distribution panels have seven outlet circuits. In otherembodiments of the present invention, distribution panels having more orless outlet circuits may be used. Further, in embodiments of the presentinvention, the PDU rack may include fuses and voltage and/or currentmonitors.

The bypass switch 244 is contained in the PDU and provides for manualbypass of the UPS to provide power directly to the distribution panelupon failure of the UPS, to replace the UPS or for any other reason. Theuse of the bypass switch in the PDU provides significant advantages inembodiments of the present invention over the prior art by allowing aUPS to be replaced due to failure or for upgrade purposes. In prior artdata centers that use 480 volt UPSs, the cost of bypass switches, andthe size of the switches that must be used for 480 volt power, oftenmake their use prohibitive.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the bypass switch actually includesthree switches 243, 245 and 247. As will now be described, the use ofthe three switches provides continuous power when the UPS is switchedout, and reduces transients and arcing that can occur during switching.During normal operation, switches 243 and 247 are in the closed positionand switch 245 is in the open position to route all power through theUPS. When it is desired to bypass the UPS, switch 245 is first closedand then switches 243 and 247 are open. Similarly, when it is desired toadd a UPS back in the system, switches 243 and 247 are closed prior toopening switch 245.

In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, inputpower to the PDU rack is received from underneath the rack through, forexample, a raised floor. In other embodiments, the input power to thePDU rack may be received through the roof of the PDU rack, or throughthe back of the rack. Power from the PDU rack to the UPS rack is runeither through the sides of the rack, over the roofs of the racks orthrough the floor beneath the racks.

In one embodiment of the invention, distribution of power from thedistribution panels in the PDU racks to each of the equipment racks isaccomplished using a plurality of flexible power cables of variouslengths. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the flexible cables arerouted through the top of the PDU rack and through overhead tracks tothe equipment racks. In this embodiment, each of the power cables isterminated using a standard power connector, and each of the equipmentracks has an input power cable having a mating connector for thestandard connector on the power cables allowing each of the racks to besimply connected to the PDU without the need of an electrician. In oneembodiment, the input power cable for a rack is a power cord of a powerreceptacle unit mounted in the rack.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a rack 250 that in one embodiment is usedfor the server racks 220A, 220B and 220C. In FIG. 5, the rack 250includes a front door 252, but is shown without side panels and a backdoor. The rack includes a front section 254 and a back extension section256. The front section 254 is used to contain nineteen inchrack-mountable servers and other equipment. The back extension section256 is used for power and signal distribution between equipment mountedin the rack. The back extension section includes a first side panel 258,a second side panel 260, and a roof section 266. The roof section has afirst opening 268 and a second opening 270. The first opening 268 andthe second opening are used to pass data and power cables into and outof the racks.

In the rack of FIG. 5, a power receptacle unit 262 is mounted to thefirst side panel 258 using brackets 264A and 264B The power receptacleunit 262 has an opening 272 to receive a power cord (not shown in FIG.5) for the power receptacle unit. Similarly, a second power receptacleunit may be mounted to the second side panel 260. As shown in FIG. 6, inan alternative embodiment, the power receptacle unit 262 is mounted onraised brackets 263A and 263B. Depending on the configuration ofequipment and the back door of the rack, the use of the raised bracketsmay provide greater accessibility to the power outlets of the powerreceptacle unit. As described further below, in other embodiments, apower receptacle unit may be mounted to the rack without use of bracketsand requiring no tools for installation or removal. In addition toshowing the use of raised brackets, the rack 250 of FIG. 6 is also shownwith the front door removed.

In one embodiment of the present invention, as will now be describedwith reference to FIG. 7, one or more of the racks includes an overheadpower track and an overhead data track, both of which are attached tothe roof of the rack. The power track is used for passing power cablesin a side-to-side direction from one rack to another. The data tracksare used for passing data cables in a side-to-side direction from onerack to another. The use of the overhead tracks on the UPS racks isoptional depending on the path used to run power between the PDU racksand the UPS racks and to run data cables between the racks. The tracksare designed such that the track of one rack lines up with the tracks ofadjacent racks when the racks are positioned side-by-side in order tocreate a continuous track for a row of racks of any length.

FIG. 7 is a top view of racks 208A, 210A, 220A, 220B, and 220C (FIG. 3),and FIG. 7 shows the top panels 273, 274, 276, 278 and 280 of each ofthe racks and also shows power tracks 282A, 282B, 282C, 282D and 282Eand data tracks 284A, 284B, 284C and 284D that run between the racks.The top view of FIG. 7 also shows power bridge tracks 286A and 286B anddata bridge tracks 288A, 288B and 288C. The bridge tracks are used inembodiments of the invention to connect the tracks of two racks located,for example, in two rows separated by an aisle to allow power and datacables to pass from one rack to a rack in another aisle. Similarly,bridge tracks may be used for data cables. The top panels 282C, 282D and284E of the server racks are longer than top panels 282A and 282B of theUPS and PDU racks. The longer top panels extend over the back extensionsection 258 (FIG. 5) of the server racks.

Embodiments for the power tracks are illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12.FIG. 11 illustrates a first embodiment of a power track 282A for use ona PDU rack. The power track 282A has two upstanding sides 401, 402 and atrough 403 between the upstanding sides. The trough 403 extends overonly a portion of the power track 282A between the upstanding sides 401,402. The open portion of the trough 403 allows power cords to extendfrom the PDU rack into the power track 282A. Each of the upstandingsides 401, 402 is formed as an inverted V having two legs 402A, 402B.The inner leg 402B is shorter than the outer leg 402A and is attached tothe trough 403. In this manner, the trough 403 is raised above the rack.FIG. 12 illustrates a second embodiment of a power track 282B for usewith non-PDU racks. The second embodiment of the power track 282B alsoincludes two upstanding sides 404, 405 and a trough 406. Each of theupstanding sides 404, 405 are formed as an inverted V having two legs405A, 405B. The inner leg 405B is shorter than the outer leg 405A andattached to the trough 406. In this manner, as in the first embodimentof the power track, the trough is raised from the level of the rack. Oneof the upstanding sides 404 has two slots 430, 431 from a top surfacedown to approximately the level of the trough. Power cables can beplaced in either of the notches to pass to the rack below. The outerlegs 405A of the upstanding sides 404, 405 have a tunnel 296. The tunnel296 allows data cables to pass under the trough 406 of the power trackto reach openings in the top of the racks.

Each of the embodiments of the power tracks 282A, 282B has attachmenttabs 450A, 450B, 451A, 451B for attaching the power track to the top ofa rack. Each power track has four attachment tabs, two on eachupstanding side. FIG. 14 illustrates a structure for the attachmenttabs. The top of a rack has various attachment holes 455 in parallellines. To attach a power track to a rack, the lower edges of theupstanding sides 401, 402 of the power track 282A are compressed by handtoward each other. The legs of the upstanding sides 401, 402 allow easycompression of the two upstanding sides. The attachment tabs 450A, 450Bare aligned with and inserted in corresponding attachment holes 455 inthe rack. When the upstanding sides 401, 402 are released, theattachment tabs 450A, 450B engage the edges of the attachment tabs tohold the track in place. The parallel rows of multiple attachment holes455 in the top of the rack allow the power tracks to be located indifferent positions along the top of the rack. However, all of the powertracks for a single set of power cables should be aligned along the topof the racks, as illustrated in FIG. 7. Of course, other designs forattachment tabs and holes could be used. For example, parallel rows oftabs could be placed on the roof section of an equipment rack to matewith holes in the power cable track. The tabs on the power cable trackcould be arranged to require spreading the upstanding sides rather thancompression. The tabs could be arranged to allow movement of the powercable track, endwise or sideways, to engage corresponding holes in theroof section.

FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate embodiments of partitions for forming adata track 284. A data track could be formed in the same manner as apower track with a raised trough. Alternatively, the data track can havea trough at the level of the racks. As illustrated in FIGS. 13A and 13B,the data track may also be formed of partitions. Partitions are placedon either side of the data track. By using partitions, different widthtracks can be created easily. The data cables may be placed directly onthe top of the racks. The partitions serve to maintain the position ofthe data cables and to provide metal and spatial separation from thepower cables to prevent interference. A first embodiment of a partition284A is illustrated in FIG. 13B. The partition 284A is formed as asingle upstanding side 407 having two legs 407A, 407B formed in aninverted V. The partition 284A includes a tunnel 300 for allowing datacables to pass outside the track to openings in the tops of the racks.

Each of the legs 407A, 407B of the partition 284A has two attachmenttabs 452A, 452B. The attachment tabs 452A, 452B are identical to theattachment tabs on the power track and as illustrated in FIG. 14. Toattach the partition to the top of the rack, the legs 407A, 407B of theupstanding side 407 are compressed. The attachment tabs 452A, 452B arealigned with and inserted in corresponding attachment holes 455 in thetop of the rack. When the legs 407A, 407B are released, the attachmenttabs engage with the edge of the attachment holes to keep the partitionin place. Of course, as with the power cable tracks, other arrangementsof tabs and holes could be used on the partitions for attaching the datacable track to the roof section of an equipment rack.

FIG. 13A illustrates a second embodiment of a partition 284E andincludes tabs 453A and 453B. The second embodiment is similar to thefirst embodiment for a partition, but does not include a tunnel 300. Thesecond embodiment of the partition is used when data cables do not needto exit the data track, such as along the front of the rack. Eliminationof the tunnel 300 provides better separation between the data cables andpower cables and reduces interference.

The power data tracks and data cable partitions include bridge slots forattaching cable bridges to the tracks on different sets of tracks. Thepower tracks, illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, have two sets of bridgeslots. At upper set of slots 410 are formed in the top of each of theupstanding sides 401, 402. A lower set of slots 420 are formed partwayup each of the outer legs of the upstanding sides. The two sets of slotscan be used to place bridges at different levels for power and for data.The partitions have a single set of bridge slots 421 corresponding tothe lower level on the power tracks. As illustrated in FIG. 7, theupstanding sides of the power tracks 282 are higher than the upstandingsides of the data tracks 284. A power bridge 286A can be placed above oron top of the data tracks 284 and attach to the upper level bridge slotsin the power tracks 282. A data bridge 288A can be placed at the lowerlevel from the data tracks 284 below the power bridge 286A. Thus,spatial separation of the power and data cables can be maintained. FIG.15 illustrates attachment hardware for a data bridge. A bridge 286A, isformed of two rectangular channels 471, 472 attached together in aladder structure. A ladder bracket 461, 462 is inserted into each of thechannels 471, 472. The ladder brackets 461, 462 have a hook 465, 467 andslot 466, 468 at an end which extends from the channels. The hook andslot of a ladder bracket mates with the bridge slots on the power tracksand data tracks. No tools are required to connect the bridges to thetracks.

Each of the power tracks has a slot 298 to allow the input power cablesto pass from the openings in the top of the racks into the power tracks,and each of the data tracks has an opening 300 to allow data cables topass from openings in the top of the racks to the data tracks. Each ofthe power tracks has a tunnel 296 to allow data cables to pass beneaththe power tracks to openings in the top of the racks. In otherembodiments, the data tracks may be raised off of the roof of the racksto allow power cables to pass beneath.

In FIG. 7, five flexible power cables 290A, 290B, 290C and 290D passthrough the top of the PDU. Cable 290A mates with input power cable 292Aof server rack A through mating connector pair 294A, cable 290B mateswith input power cable 292B of server rack B through mating connectorpair 294B, and cable 290C mates with input power cable 294C of serverrack C trough mating connector pair 294C. Power cable 290D passes fromthe PDU through the power tracks and onto power bridge track 286A. Powercable 290E passes from the PDU through the power tracks and onto powerbridge track 286B. Data cables 302 are run in the data tracks and passinto the racks either through holes 304 or holes 306. The data cablesmay also be run to other racks over data bridge tracks 288A, 288B and288C.

In one embodiment, each of the flexible power cables is pre-wired intothe PDU prior to the delivery of the PDU rack to a data center and theflexible power cables are packaged with and shipped with the PDU. Eachof the flexible cables is sized based on the distance from the PDU rackto the equipment rack at which it terminates. In this embodiment, adrawing representing the installation plan for the system, along with acomputer aided design (CAD) program may be used to determine therequired lengths of the flexible power cables. Since the lengths of thecables are determined prior to installation, the ends of the powercables can be terminated with a connector prior to installation, andtherefore, at installation, the power cables may be routed to the rackswithout any cutting of power wiring during the installation process.

As discussed above with reference to FIG. 5, each of the equipment rackscan include two power receptacle units. Each power receptacle unit has aplurality of output receptacles for powering the equipment in thecorresponding rack and has an input power cable having a connector whichmatches the connector of one of the flexible power cables provided bythe power distribution unit. As described above, in one embodiment, thepower to each of the equipment racks is 208 volts three phase power. Inthis embodiment, each of the power cables from the PDUs to the equipmentracks has at least five conductors, one conductor for each of thephases, a neutral conductor and a ground conductor. In one embodiment,each of the power receptacle units contains a plurality of groups ofreceptacles, with each group of receptacles wired to provide either 120volt from one of the three input phases or to provide 208 volt power.Also, in embodiments of the present invention, each outlet in eachreceptacle unit, or groups of outlets, may be separately protectedagainst overload by a circuit breaker, fuse, or similar device containedwithin the receptacle unit.

In embodiments of the present invention, the availability in each rackof single phase power from each of three phases of a three phase systemsignificantly simplifies balancing the load on the three phase system.As is known in the art, it is desirable to draw approximately the samecurrent in each phase of a three phase system. In typical prior artsystems, power from only one phase is available in each equipment rackin a data center. Accordingly, balancing of the three phase power mustoccur at the rack level, which is often very difficult to accomplish,particularly for racks having equipment with variable power draw. Incontrast, in embodiments of the present invention, balancing of thethree phase power can be achieved by switching equipment in a rack fromone group of outlets in a receptacle unit to another group of outlets ina receptacle unit.

The provision of both 208 volt power and 120 volt power in racks of thepresent invention provides additional flexibility over prior art racksthat typically are wired for one of 120 volts and 208 volts. Inaddition, in one embodiment that will now be described with reference toFIG. 8 and FIGS. 9A-9C, the power receptacle units are removably coupledto the racks to allow replacement of a receptacle unit without usingtools.

FIG. 8 shows a power receptacle unit 262 mounted to the second sidepanel of the rack 250. As shown in FIG. 8, both the first and secondside panels include pairs of slots 310 for mounting a power receptacleunit. In FIG. 8, only one of the slots of each pair is visible for thefirst side panel of the rack. The power receptacle unit 262 includes twopairs of tabs 312 that mount into two of the pairs of slots 310 to mountthe receptacle unit to the rack. In FIG. 8, the tabs 312 mate with theuppermost and lowermost pairs of slots, however, in other embodiments,shorter receptacle units can mate with other pairs of tabs.

FIG. 9A shows a top view of a portion of the receptacle unit 262including one of the pairs of tabs 312, and FIG. 9C shows a side view ofthe portion of the receptacle unit 262. FIG. 9B shows a front view of aportion of the second side panel 260 illustrating one of the pairs ofslots 310 in greater detail. As best seen in FIG. 9C, each of the tabs312 has a top portion 314 and a neck 316. When mounting the receptacle262, the top portion 314 is inserted through the larger portion of theslot 310, and the receptacle is then moved so that the neck 316 is inthe narrow portion of the slot 310, so that the top portion of the tabholds the receptacle unit in the slot.

The ability to easily replace receptacle units in racks of the presentinvention provides further flexibility to accommodate a greater varietyof equipment. For example, a receptacle unit having all 120 volt outletsmay be replaced with a receptacle unit having a mixture of 120 volt and208 volt outlets, or all 208 volt outlets if 120 volt equipment isreplaced by 240 volt equipment.

As discussed above, each of the equipment racks may have two powerreceptacle units coupled to two different UPSs through two differentPDUs and two different flexible power cables. As described above withreference to FIGS. 2 and 3, in one embodiment having two UPSs and twoPDU racks for powering a series of equipment racks, the equipment racksare arranged in a row with one UPS and one PDU rack positioned at eachend of the row. By positioning the PDUs at opposite ends of the row, thenumber of cables at any one time in the overhead tracks can be uniform.In other embodiments of the invention, the equipment racks do not needto be contained in one linear row, but rather, could be in multiple rowsor the racks may be arranged in a non-linear fashion. Overhead bridgesbetween the tracks may be used to run the flexible cabling betweennon-adjacent racks.

In one embodiment, each of the UPSs, the PDUs and the power receptacleunits may include a communication circuit for status monitoring by acontroller via a common communication bus. FIG. 10 shows a number ofreceptacles 262, one of the UPSs, and one of the PDUs of a powerdistribution network of the present invention, coupled over acommunication bus 318 to the controller 320 to allow status monitoringof the power distribution system. The communication bus may beimplemented using any one of a number of known network topologies, andin one embodiment, is implemented using a modified version of the CommonApplication Standard (CAL) over IP in addition to SNMP and HTTP. Inanother embodiment, the communication bus may be implemented using apower line carrier network.

In one embodiment, the controller provides consolidated information toan IP based network using SNMP, HTTP or some other known protocol. Thecontroller may also include software to prevent access from the IPnetwork to the communications bus. The controller may be mounted in oneof the equipment racks, in a PDU rack or in a UPS rack.

In one embodiment of the present invention, some or all of thereceptacle units contain current (or power) monitoring devices formonitoring the total current through the receptacle or the currentthrough each of the outlets of the receptacle. In this embodiment, thecurrent measured in the receptacles can be communicated to thecontroller over the communications bus to allow the controller to detectany present or impending over current conditions. In one embodiment,additional current (or power) monitors, coupled to the communicationsbus, can be distributed throughout the power distribution network toprovide values of current (or power) to the controller. In addition,each of the receptacles may have a display that displays the current orpower draw for the receptacle unit to determine if additional devicescan be powered from the unit. Further, as described in copending U.S.patent application Serial No. “Not Yet Assigned”, filed on Jan. 2, 2002,titled METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING OVERLOADS OF POWERDISTRIBUTION NETWORKS, assigned to the assignee of the presentapplication, and incorporated herein by reference, the controller andpower monitoring devices can be used in conjunction with the controlleralong with software contained in computers contained in the equipmentracks to determine maximum power levels in the power distributionsystem.

In FIG. 3, the UPSs are placed at the ends of the rows of racks.Embodiments of the present invention are not limited to systems in whichthe UPS racks are placed at the ends, however, as described above, inembodiments of the present invention, there are advantages to placingthe UPSs at the end of the rows. Specifically, the placement of the UPSsat the end of the rows allows easy access to the UPSs for replacementfor repair or upgrade. Further, in redundant power systems having twoPDUs, as described above, the placement of the PDUs at the ends of therows allows the number of cables at any point in the tracks in a row ofracks to be kept uniform. Nonetheless, in other embodiments of thepresent invention, the UPSs and PDUs may be installed in the center of arow or at any other position in a row of racks.

In embodiments discussed above, racks are described as being arranged inrows. In different embodiments, rows of racks may be linear rows, curvedrows, have spaces (i.e., aisles) between racks, or be arranged in someother configuration.

Having thus described at least one illustrative embodiment of theinvention, various alterations, modifications and improvements willreadily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations,modifications and improvements are intended to be within the scope andspirit of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description is byway of example only and is not intended as limiting. The invention'slimit is defined only in the following claims and the equivalentsthereto.

1. An adaptable power and mounting system for equipment, the systemcomprising: a plurality of equipment racks, each one of the equipmentracks having at least a first power input to receive power to powerequipment contained in each of the equipment racks and having a roofsection, the roof section having at least one opening; and a pluralityof power cable tracks, each power cable track being attachable to a roofsection of a corresponding equipment rack to form a continuous powertrack to route at least one power cable between the plurality ofequipment racks, each of the plurality of power cable tracks having atleast one opening configured to be aligned with the at least one openingof the roof section to allow a power cable to pass from the power cabletrack into one of the equipment racks.
 2. The adaptable power andmounting system for equipment according to claim 1, wherein each roofsection of each of the plurality of equipment racks includes a pluralityof attachment holes; and wherein each of the plurality of power cabletracks includes a plurality of attachment tabs structured and arrangedso that each tab can engage a corresponding attachment hole.
 3. Theadaptable power and mounting system for equipment according to claim 2,wherein each of the plurality of power cable tracks includes: a flexiblemember connected to the plurality of attachment tabs, the flexiblemember allowing movement of the attachment tabs for engaging attachmentholes in a roof section of a equipment rack.
 4. The adaptable power andmounting system for equipment according to claim 1, wherein at least oneof the plurality of power cable tracks includes an elevated trough suchthat the power cable is maintained above the roof section.
 5. Theadaptable power and mounting system for equipment according to claim 1,further comprising: a second plurality of equipment racks, each one ofthe equipment racks having at least a first power input to receive powerto power equipment contained in each of the equipment racks and having aroof section; a second plurality of power cable tracks, each power cabletrack being attachable to a roof section of a corresponding equipmentrack to form a continuous power track to route at least one power cablebetween the second plurality of equipment racks; and a power bridgeattachable between one of the first plurality of power cable tracks andone of the second plurality of power cable tracks to route at least onepower cable between the first plurality of equipment racks and thesecond plurality of equipment racks.
 6. The adaptable power and mountingsystem for equipment according to claim 5, wherein the one of the firstplurality of power cable tracks and the one of the second plurality ofpower cable tracks includes a plurality of bridge slots; and wherein thepower bridge includes a plurality of hooks for engaging the plurality ofbridge slots.
 7. The adaptable power and mounting system for equipmentaccording to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of data cabletracks, each data cable track being attachable to a roof section of acorresponding equipment rack to form a continuous data track to route atleast one data cable between the plurality of equipment racks.
 8. Theadaptable power and mounting system for equipment according to claim 7,wherein each of the plurality of data cable tracks includes a pluralityof attachment tabs structured and arranged so that each tab can engage acorresponding attachment hole.
 9. The adaptable power and mountingsystem for equipment according to claim 8, wherein each of the pluralityof data cable tracks includes: a flexible member connected to theplurality of attachment tabs, the flexible member allowing movement ofthe attachment tabs for engaging attachment holes in a roof section of aequipment rack.
 10. The adaptable power and mounting system forequipment according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality ofpower cable tracks includes: an elevated trough such that the powercable is maintained above the roof section, the at least one opening ofthe power cable track being formed in a bottom section of the elevatedtrough. 11.-20. (canceled)